New Coquitlam mayor cites affordability, safety as top issues at inauguration

Longtime photographer Craig Hodge offered a snapshot of the four years to come at city council Monday.

After 15 years on council, Hodge was sworn in as Coquitlam’s mayor during a ceremony that included an honour guard and a blessing from Kwikwetlem First Nation.

“I’ve had the privilege to photograph the people, places, and moments that tell the story of Coquitlam,” Hodge said in his inaugural address. “They are all of our stories.”

After acknowledging MLAs, MPs, past councillors and former mayor Richard Stewart, Hodge talked about the challenges of affordability, livability, and community safety.

“Our goal can’t be just to get bigger, it must be to get better. That means centring decisions on a simple principle: How will this improve the daily lives of the people who live, work, and raise their families in our city.”

As the cost of living continues to rise, residents want programs and services to remain affordable and accessible, Hodge said, noting the importance of city festival and free summer concerts.

“We’re a growing community, and that brings opportunities and it brings responsibilities. We need to make sure our infrastructure, services, and amenities keep pace.”

Hodge discussed major projects on Burke Mountain and at Fraser Mills, and the need to create housing choices for residents at different stages of life.

“Growth should create opportunities for people to live well,” Hodge said.

Coquitlam’s new municipal government includes four returning councillors and four first-time councillors. There will be disagreements, Coun. Steve Kim predicted.

“We, around this council table, won’t see eye to eye on everything,” he said. “We shouldn’t expect to. What I hope is that we can challenge each other’s ideas, listen to different perspectives, and keep the interests of our residents at the centre of our decisions.”

The new councillors each offered gratitude to their supporters for the trust placed in them.

“I intend to be the kind of councillor that pays attention to the little details that shape your neighbourhood and can change your day,” new Coun. Rosalinda Thorleifson said.

Coun. Benjamin Perry noted his environmental work, “especially focused on practical and affordable actions to address climate change.”

Over the next four years, council should consider the city’s pace and scale of densification, as well as how to provide homes for everyone including the unhoused, he said.

In his opening remarks, Coun. Matthew Sebastiani talked about his health challenges with ulcerative colitis that nearly forced him to drop out of university.

He stayed the course due to perseverance and community, he said.

“The strength within you is greater than the challenges you face.”

After nearly being elected to council in 2022, Coun. Harvey Su described the last four years as: “the longest job interview of my life.”

Su described the need to: “build a Coquitlam that is more affordable, vibrant, and better connected.”

Su also talked about his journey as a first-generation immigrant from Mainland China to become a city councillor.

“My Canadian dream has come true,” he said.